Liverpool vs Crystal Palace Community Shield taken off free-to-air as new channel confirmed

The new Premier League season is just around the corner, and as supporters eagerly anticipate the kick-off, it's time for the traditional season opener in the form of the Community Shield.

This weekend at Wembley Stadium, Liverpooland Crystal Palacewill vie for the first piece of silverware of the campaign. This match-up sees the reigning Premier League champions take on the previous season's FA Cup victors.

The Reds clinched the league title in a commanding fashion last season, finishing 10 points clear at the top under Arne Slot's debut campaign.

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On the other hand, Palace etched their name in the history books when Eberechi Eze's goal secured a 1-0 victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final last season. Under the stewardship of Oliver Glasner, they celebrated their maiden major trophy win.

Consequently, this Sunday's clash at Wembley will be Palace's inaugural appearance in the annual fixture, which has been a staple in the football calendar for nearly 120 years.

This contrasts with Slot's team, who have lifted the Community Shield 16 times, with their latest success coming in 2022 against City.

Only Manchester United (21) and Arsenal (17) have won the trophy more frequently.

While both sets of supporters are eager to see their teams compete on Sunday, they will not be able to do so on free-to-air television due to a significant change announced for this year's match.

ITV, which has had a long-standing relationship with the Community Shield, has now lost the broadcasting rights to the game.

Instead, the coverage has been switched to a subscription service, with the fixture being broadcast live and exclusively on TNT Sports and discovery+.

Whilst the match gets underway at 3pm, the coverage is scheduled to commence on TNT Sport 1 from 2pm, wrapping up at approximately 6pm.

The FA confirmed the alteration in broadcasters in a statement released prior to this weekend's encounter.

"The 2025 FA Community Shield match will be contested by the 2024-25 Emirates FA Cup winners, Crystal Palace, and 2024-25 Premier League champions, Liverpool," the statement read.

"The game will take place at Wembley Stadium connected by EE on Sunday 10 August. It will be broadcast live and exclusively on TNT Sports 1, with kick-off at 3pm BST."

It arrives over a year since it was announced that ITV would also forfeit their rights to broadcast live FA Cup fixtures from the forthcoming 2025/26 season onwards.

Under a fresh partnership, the BBC will be the free-to-air broadcaster of the prestigious cup competition, screening 14 games live, whilst matches will also be transmitted on TNT Sports.